I don't know what, if anything, this has to do with cycling, or anything else. But it's taking up a few of my brain cells, so I thought I'd mention it here.
I'm going to show you two photos. Does either or neither, or do both, express anything that 2012 has meant to you--or that you anticipate for 2013?
I got home from Florida very late last night. Once I set myself down on my couch, Max and Marley wouldn't let me back up!
They wanted to hear about Florida. I assured them that although I met a couple of friendly and cute felines in the Sunshine State, none could compare to them. But Mom's cooking and the bike riding were really good.
I mean, how could it not be in a place called Painters Hill? That's one of the places my last ride of this year's holiday visit took me. Though it was chilly, the sky--and the sea--were as blue as could be. Nobody was swimming or surfing, but I saw quite a few people (yes, including a couple of women) fishing.
Well, maybe these fishermen are a little difficult to see. After all, men often go fishing so that others--namely, their wives, children and girlfriends--won't find them! On the other hand, this fisher is making no attempt to hide, but is doing quite nicely:
Since this winsome avian creature is not running away from anything, Santa sees fit to leave a reward:
I've no idea of how that got, or what it's doing, there. Let's hope that there's no rule saying that whatever happens on Painters Hill stays on Painters Hill. Well, at least for most things, anyway:
Where I am now--about halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach--is not what comes to most people's minds when you mention "Florida." Although some of the flora and fauna--at least the ones found here now--are similar to what's found further south, the climate is different. Frost covered lawns on the first morning of my trip here; the next day was like one in May in the New York area.
And, contrary to what you might have heard, there are seasons here, though they are not as pronounced as the ones that rule the north. There are no maples and oaks that blaze orange, red and yellow before burning into ashen shades. Instead, you are more likely to see something like this:
And it's likely to be found in this sort of landscape:
With backdrops like those, houses festooned with lights and other decorations seem incongruous, and sometimes even disconcerting. To me, some of the most attractively decorated houses actually look best in daylight:
Here is a view of the right side of that house:
At least the end of the day--the holiday, anyway--ends with something familiar and welcome:
and other rewards:
I shared the eggplant lasagna, stuffed mushrooms, meat sauce, salad, cheesecake and cookies with people I love. After all, even after a Christmas Day bike ride, I couldn't eat everything all by myself!
